Sleepless in Chicago
by Susiewoo
Summary: Susan goes back to the bar. What happens if he's not there?
1. Default Chapter

Title: "Sleepless in Chicago" (no, it's got nothing to do with the ep nor does it have anything to do with the movie "Sleepless in Seattle", which I've never seen anyway. Just thought it was cool.)  
  
Author's notes: Sadly, only Ryan belongs to me. Susan and Abby are (again sadly) not mine. English is not my native English and I didn't have any beta readers, so bear with me. :o) Chuck does not exist in this one, though I do like him.  
  
Spoilers: None, as far as I know anyway.  
  
Rating: There's a little bit of drinking, but nothing too heavy, I guess.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Susan hadn't felt that down in a while. Not that she didn't love her job or that she hadn't any friends. Quite the opposite actually, but she felt lonely anyway. Had been for a while even. She went to a bar, just wanting to get a drink or two before she'd get back home, to an empty apartment where the quiet would drive her insane.  
  
She stepped into the bar with a sigh, her eyes scanning the room for a quiet place to sit. It was late, so there was enough space at the bar. She slowly walked over to a stool and sat down, motioning for the bartender to get her a drink. Not knowing what she really wanted, she let him decide, hoping he'd get her some heavy stuff. She thanked him with a weary smile, taking a large gulp of the drink he had put in front of her. She swallowed hard, making a disgusted face at the taste of the liquor. It would do though, she thought as she put the glass back down, not wanting to cause the guy any trouble.  
  
Having a few more shots, she felt herself getting a little dizzy, waving off as the bartender wanted to fix her another drink.  
  
"I've had enough," she mumbled, closing her eyes as she put her face into her hands, sighing heavily to herself.  
  
"Is this stool free?" a male voice asked, tapping her gently on the shoulder.  
  
She raised and turned her head, looking straight at a guy who looked as tired as she felt. "Sure," she said, smiling wearily as he reached for a little bowl with some peanuts.  
  
The guy sat down and ordered a drink, seeming to know exactly what he wanted right away. "You want anything?" he asked, turning to Susan with a polite smile.  
  
"No, thanks, I've had enough already," she said softly, popping some peanuts into her mouth.  
  
They sat there in silence as Susan glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. Besides the weariness edgeing his face, he was handsome, she thought. He was wearing a suit, his tie hanging loosely around his neck and the first two or three buttons on his shirt undone. Probably a lawyer, she added in her mind.  
  
"What is a woman like you doing in a place like this?" he asked, catching her glancing at him with a smile.  
  
"A woman like me? You don't even know me," she challenged, not at all unfriendly, knowing there was probably a compliment hidden in there.  
  
"Yeah, that's right. But women as... Well, beautiful as you shouldn't be alone at this time of day. Especially not in a bar drinking," he told her, flashing her a smile that made the weariness on his face disappear like it hadn't even been there.  
  
Susan could feel the heat rising in her cheeks, knowing she was blushing slightly at his compliment. "Well, thanks.. I guess," she said softly, smiling genuinely at him. "I just needed to be alone, but an empty apartment didn't seem like a good option," she explained, popping another peanut into her mouth.  
  
"Sounds like we had the same idea then," he replied smiling, offering her another drink. This time she took it, feeling a little less tipsy than she had before. "My name is Ryan, by the way," he said, extending his hand to shake hers with a soft smile.  
  
"Susan," she said softly, taking his hand in hers as she felt a shiver going down her spine at the feel of it. She wondered what was wrong with her, not having felt that tingle in quite a while.  
  
"That's a beautiful name, Susan," he said, flashing her a grin as he gulped down another drink.  
  
"I bet you say that to all of the women you've just met in a bar," she replied, taking a sip of her own drink. As much as she had been wanting to be alone, this guy seemed nice enough to sit with him and talk for a while.  
  
"I'm gonna go home. I have to be at work early in the morning. So. can I give you a ride home?" he asked softly as he finished his drink and took out his wallet to pay.  
  
Susan's face fell and as nice as he seemed, he was a perfect stranger and she wasn't stupid. "I don't think that's a good idea," she said carefully, giving him a faint smile. "Don't take it personal, but I think I'll find my way home on my own," she told him, getting up and quickly putting her coat on.  
  
Ryan got up as well and put a few bills on the bar, just enough for the drinks he had. "Listen, I didn't mean to scare you off or anything. I just thought it wouldn't be a good idea to let you walk through this city on your own," he said softly, gently touching her arm to hold her back.  
  
Her head shot up, looking at him with a confused expression. "You think that's gonna work? That really doesn't impress 'a woman like me'," she said slightly unnerved as she tugged her arm free.  
  
Letting go of her arm, he plopped back down onto the bar stool, watching her leave. He sighed, putting on his jacket as he followed her outside quietly, careful not to make her notice that he was there.  
  
Susan knew he was following her, so she quickened her steps. Walking faster into the direction of the El station, someone ran past her, pulling on her bag as she was knocked to the floor in the process. Ryan held out his leg to the side, causing the thief to stumble and fall down, dropping the bag as he did so. He got up and ran away as fast as his legs could carry him as Ryan picked up Susan's bag and went over to help her get up.  
  
"Are you ok?" he asked, offering her his hand to pull her back up.  
  
She took it reluctantly, letting him help her back onto her feet. "I'm fine. Thanks...," she mumbled, taking her bag as he handed it to her.  
  
"See, that's exactly why I asked if you needed a ride home," he told her, flashing her a faint smile since he knew she wouldn't be too happy.  
  
"I should've taken a cab," she admitted, lowering her gaze to the floor.  
  
He tilted her head up gently, making her look him in the eyes. "I'll call you a cab," he said softly, flashing her a smile.  
  
"That's not necessary," she replied, starting to walk away from him, but he followed her again.  
  
"Can I at least walk you home? I don't bite... Susan," he said with a sigh, catching up with her as he walked right beside her.  
  
Susan stopped and just looked at him for a moment before she spoke again. "Why do you think I'd let you do that?" she asked, getting a little irritated.  
  
"I'm a nice guy?" he asked, flashing her a shy smile as he stood there in front of her, not really able to estimate what her reaction was going to be.  
  
Susan couldn't help but smile, he really seemed like he just wanted to help her. "Okay," she finally relented, starting to walk down the street, letting him catch up with her as she did so.  
  
They walked along the streets in silence, neither of them knowing what to say. Susan glanced at him every so often, deciding that he was quite alright and pretty handsome as well. She smiled to herself, shaking her head slightly.  
  
"What?" he asked, smiling as well as he caught her glancing at him. "Is there anything on my face?" he added with a slight smirk, almost bumping into a street lamp.  
  
Susan giggled and shook her hand once more. "Nothing," she lied with a smile, falling back into silence as they walked.  
  
A couple of blocks later, they had reached her apartment building and were standing in front of the door, talking.  
  
"Is there any chance I can get your number?" Ryan asked shyly, lowering his gaze to the floor and kicking some random spot.  
  
Susan shook her head and quickly kissed him on the cheek. "Well, I don't just give random guys my number, but maybe I'll see you at the bar some time," she told him with a smile, giving him a little wave as she walked up the stairs to the front door, letting herself in. As she was walking up the stairs, she was debating with herself whether to run back immediately and hand him her number or just go up and crawl into bed. She decided to let him go and maybe go back to the bar to 'accidently' meet him there some time later in the week.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
The next morning, Susan walked into Abby drinking coffee in the lounge. She sighed heavily and let herself plop onto a chair across from her.  
  
"Long night?" Abby asked with a smirk, taking a sip of her coffee as she noticed the bags under Susan's eyes.  
  
Susan nodded, getting up to get some coffee for herself. "Yeah, I was at a bar a few blocks away from my apartment. Met a cute guy," she mumbled, pouring the dark liquid into her mug. Walking back over to the table, she sat back down and took a sip, almost burning her tongue.  
  
"A cute guy, uh? Well, you certainly look like someone kept you awake all night," Abby teased, getting up and putting her empty mug into the sink. "Was it good?" she asked, a wide, teasing grin on her face.  
  
"Abby, I didn't sleep with him. I didn't even give him my number when he asked for it," Susan replied, giving a soft sigh to herself. "I mean, he was a stranger and don't really like to be picked up in a shabby bar."  
  
Abby rolled her eyes and leaned back against the counter, nibbling on an apple she just got out of the fridge. "Come on, Susan. I doubt he was a serial killer. You just said yourself he was cute. Serial killers are not cute. Was he at least hot?"  
  
Susan flashed her a lopsided grin and nodded. "Definately. He was the Dylan McDermott kind of hot, you know? He looked like a lawyer or something," she said, smiling at the memory of his features. Yeah, she was definately going to go back to that bar. 


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Look at chapter one.  
  
Chapter 2  
  
Susan stood outside the bar, debating with herself whether or not to go in. After a few minutes of pacing, she sighed and entered the dark room, glancing around to see if -he- would be there. He wasn't. Susan's shoulders slumped, the fact that he wasn't there discouraging her more than she would have thought.  
  
"A scotch on ice, please," she mumbled when she had sat down at the bar. She buried her face into her hands and sighed. Another day she had spent frustrated with everything. She had met a guy she liked and that seemed nice, but had rebuffed his advances.  
  
She took a large gulp of her drink when the bartender placed it front of her and made a disgusted face as the liquor warmed up her whole body. She swallowed another gulp and decided that getting drunk didn't seem like such a bad idea at that point.  
  
One hour and a couple of more drinks later her mood hadn't changed, but now she felt sick as well. Her stomach twisted and turned, threatening to release its contents any second. She took a deep breath and tried to pull herself together as a hand on her shoulder startled her out of her concentration.  
  
"I guess you've been waiting," Ryan said softly, flashing her a smile until he realised she was drunk.  
  
"Well, maybe, but not for you," Susan replied grumpily, smacking his hand off of her shoulder as he sat down next to her.  
  
Ryan scrunched up his nose, wondering if he was the reason for her bad mood. "Let me guess, you had a bad day?" he asked carefully, already preparing himself for her comeback.  
  
"Yeah," she mumbled, shrugging her shoulders as she went to pick up her drink, but Ryan stopped her.  
  
"Don't you think you've had enough already?" he asked as he took the drink out of her hand and put it down in front of her.  
  
She wanted to yell at him, tell him he had no right to keep her from drinking, but she knew he was right. "I wanna go home and crawl into bed," she mumbled, burying her face into her hands, her head starting to spin slightly.  
  
Ryan got up and offered her a hand, flashing her a soft smile as he took her coat. "Come on, I'll give you a ride," he said softly, helping her off of the stool when she nodded. She got into her coat with a little bit of trouble, not noticing that Ryan had paid for her drinks.  
  
"So, where do you live?" Ryan asked as he led her out of the bar and to his car, opening up the door for her.  
  
"Somewhere around here," Susan answered quietly, her voice barely audible.  
  
He waited until she was seated and went over to his own side, doing up his seatbelt as well. He started the car and drove off. By the time he was about to ask her where she lived again, he realised she was fast asleep on his passenger seat. He sighed and decided to bring her to his place for the night, not having the energy to wake her up and let her tell him where she lived.  
  
Stopping at his apartment building, Ryan parked the car and got out and over to Susan's side. He opened the door and smiled at her sleeping form before he gently tapped her on the shoulder.  
  
"Susan," he tried it, nudging her a little, but she just groaned. "Come on, you have to help me a little here," he said with a sigh as he took her hand and helped a still half sleeping Susan out of the car.  
  
He locked the doors and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, letting her lean against him for support as they walked up the stairs. He let them into the building and helped her all the way up to his apartment. They got in and he kicked the door close with his foot, dropping his keys off on a counter.  
  
"Are you alright?" he asked when he heard her mumbling some incoherent stuff, looking up at her face. "Shit," he murmured, freeing them off their coats and leading her to the bathroom immediately, where she made it to the toilet just in time to throw up.  
  
Ryan grabbed a washcloth and drenched it in cold water, putting it gently onto her forehead as he brushed her hair out of the way. He kneeled down next to her and waited until he thought she was okay to get back up. Helping her back up onto her feet.  
  
She flashed him a faint, but grateful smile as he handed her an unused toothbrush he had saved for guests. She rinsed out her mouth and brushed her teeth several times when he had left the bathroom, making sure she was alright on her own.  
  
Ryan waited outside the bathroom and paced a little, knowing she wouldn't like the idea of sleeping at his place when she'd wake up in the morning, but there was no way he was bringing her home in the state she was in.  
  
"Thank you," came a quiet whisper behind him, making him turn around. "Why are you doing this?" Susan asked softly as she walked over to the couch slowly, careful not to fall over.  
  
He shrugged and pulled a blanket out of a closet, walking over to put it on the armrest of the couch.  
  
"I'm tired," she mumbled, lying down without another thought and stretching out on the couch. In a matter of seconds, Susan slept soundly.  
  
Ryan picked up the blanket and gently laid it over her, watching her for a few minutes before he decided to go to bed as well. He stripped down to his boxers and crawled into his bed, falling asleep rather quickly.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Susan woke up in the middle of the night, still not quite knowing where she was. She got up and trotted into the bedroom. She crawled onto the bed and plopped down, falling back to sleep quickly without waking up Ryan.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Feeling an arm on his chest, Ryan woke up in the morning, his eyes widening immediately when he opened them. Susan was lying half on top of him, her leg over his and her head on his shoulder. He hadn't even noticed her crawling into his bed, nor did he have a clue that she must have snuggled into him while sleeping.  
  
He tried to shift out from under her, hoping she wouldn't wake up just as she stirred. She opened her eyes and screeched in shock, almost falling out of bed when she pulled away from him.  
  
"How the hell did I get here?!" she exclaimed, immediately regretting that she had raised her voice as her head throbbed in pain.  
  
"How the hell would I know? You were asleep on the couch when I got to bed!" Ryan said, careful not to get too loud since she knew what kind of a headache she must've had.  
  
"And why am I at your place?" she asked, glancing around the bedroom as she rubbed her temples gently.  
  
"Because you were drunk out of your mind and I didn't want to leave you at the bar. There was no way to get your address out of you either," Ryan told her with a sigh as he got up and quickly pulled on a t-shirt.  
  
"Oh my God," Susan mumbled, burying her face in her hands in embarassment. "I can't believe this. I'm sorry."  
  
"It's alright. You must have walked over here half asleep in the middle of the night," he said softly with just a hint of a smile. "Need some aspirin?" he asked as he reached into his drawer and pulled out a package.  
  
Susan nodded and Ryan went to get some water for her. He came back from the kitchen and handed it to her, flashing her a smile.  
  
"Thank you," Susan said softly, quickly swallowing the aspirin. "I can't believe I got so drunk. I guess I was just. frustrated," she admitted with a sigh.  
  
"Happens to everyone," Ryan told her with a shrug, sitting back down on the bed. "Though I don't think you wanna know what happened last night," he said, letting out a soft laugh.  
  
"What?" Susan said alarmed, afraid they might have done something she didn't remember. "What happened?"  
  
"Don't worry, not what you think. You fell asleep in my car and later you threw up in the bathroom," he told her, a little amused at the look of horror on her face.  
  
"Oh God, I'm -so- sorry," she said, wishing for the floor to swallow her right then. "I'll never ever drink again," she vowed.  
  
Ryan laughed and shook his head in his amusement. "Look, it's not a big deal. At least you weren't somewhere out in this city," he said sincerely, flashing her a smile.  
  
Susan just shook her head and sighed. "Why are you doing this?" she asked, not really getting why he had done this for her.  
  
He shrugged and flashed her a smile. "I like you and like I said, I didn't want you to home on your own. Who knows what might have happened."  
  
Nodding her head, Susan flashed him a grateful smile, glad that he had been there for her. "Not to be rude or anything, but I have to go. I have to work and I'll be late if I don't get a move on," she said softly.  
  
"That's okay," he said, smiling as he got up and followed her to the door.  
  
She put on her coat and quickly grabbed her bag, pulling out a pen. She took his hand and wrote her number on it, flashing him a smile when she was done.  
  
"Call me," she told him softly, turning to leave, but stopping. She turned back to him and kissed him impulsively before she left, leaving him standing dumbstruck in the doorway. 


End file.
